Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree
Master of Science
Program
Education
Program Director
Jennifer Lucko, PhD
First Reader
Katie Lewis, PhD
Second Reader
Rosemarie Michaels MEd, EdD
Abstract
Advances in computer technology have rapidly changed the face of elementary education as we know it. These changes were exacerbated in 2020, when elementary education was forced into Emergency Remote Teaching due to the Covid 19 pandemic, and students across the globe were attending and participating in school using only computers. These developments in computers and learning technology have provided countless benefits for educators, however these changes have continued to progress at such a rapid pace, that parents, educators, and school administrators have struggled to keep up (van de Werfhorst, Kessenich, Geven, 2022).
The purpose of this thesis was to understand teacher perspectives about balancing and implementing one to one digital technology. Taking a mixed methods approach, this thesis builds from survey responses and qualitative interviews of classroom teachers at a Bay Area elementary school. All data was analyzed using predictive, themed, and peer coding to look at trends and patterns within the data. The findings from this research show that teachers see digital one to one technology as a useful tool for engagement and participation, but have significant grievances around managing these devices and the lack of district support provided to them for successful implementation. These findings present a critical snapshot of current perspectives on digital one to one technology in the elementary school classroom and provide suggestions on best practices for successful future application.
IRB Number
11152